Jed Novick
Senior Lecturer
contact:
Sport and Service Management
Gaudick Road
Eastbourne
BN20 7SR
Telephone: +44 (0)1273 643750
Email: J.Novick@brighton.ac.uk
Areas of professional interest
- Sport
- Music
- TV
- Culture
Biography
Jed Novick has been a journalist for more years than he cares to remember, and has worked on most of the nationals, including The Independent (TV editor, TV critic, feature writer), The Times (sports feature writer/reporter), The Daily Express (TV editor and critic, music editor and critic), The Guardian (feature writer), The Observer (arts critic) and The Daily Star. He has set up (from conception to design to launch) three national magazines, and has also done his time at the sharp end – subbing, production and layout. He's written 10 books, including two football books and he also runs writers' retreats.
Currently working on The Cambridge Companion To Football (Cambridge University Press) – co-editor and writer.
Selected Journalism
2003 – 2004: Sorted. Commissioning/Features Editor.
Sorted was the first of its kind, a national monthly aimed at 12 to 15-year-old boys. My role involved commissioning features, writing, designing pages and subbing. I didn’t make the paper and distribute the finished article. Apart from that...
1996 - 2003: The Daily Express: TV Editor / arts critic
I joined the Express to help put their planned glossy Saturday magazine together. I was in charge of the TV and radio section – a magazine within a magazine. I designed it, co-ordinated with the rest of the magazine and wrote for it.
1995-1996: The Observer: Deputy Editor, Preview.
Preview was conceived as The Observer’s answer to The Guardian Guide, a what’s on and where to go section. I had to commission, sub and write.
1992-1995: The Nikkei Weekly: Writer / Reporter
The Nikkei Weekly is an English language financial newspaper based in Tokyo, where I was living.
1988-1990: The Independent: TV writer / editor.
I started off as the TV listings writer and had the idea of tailoring the listings for the paper rather than using agency copy like the other papers. I started making up characters and plotlines and developed a bit of a cult following. Then I became section editor, which was morre responsible and not half as much fun.
1987-1988: Time Out Guides To London: Series Editor.
Time Out decided to make a series of nine guides to different aspects to London life (kids, shopping, eating etc) designed to fit inside Filofaxes. I’d been freelancing there and got the job of Series Editor – co-oordinating and commissioning, in charge of budgets and the overall concept.
1986-1987: The Times: Sports feature writer.
From Mix to writing about sports at The Times might not seem the most linear of paths, but it worked. I did mainly ‘colour’ features, personality stuff. But I also wrote about football (covering major cup matches) and boxing reporting (covering world champiionship fights) which I loved.
Selected Books
Denied Access (PenPress) 2006
The story of David Chick (aka Spiderman) and Fathers 4 Justice’s struggle for the rights of fathers.
Juicy Guides - co-director/writer/publisher. A national city guide book series. The first major guide book series to British cities.
Boys Toys (Qu:id) 2005
An anthology of the American toys of the 1950s to the 1980s.
Michael Palin: The Life Of... Authorised biog (Hodder) 2001
He’s a lovely man, really.
Benny Hill: King Leer (Carlton) 2000
I’d never been a fan of Benny Hill, but it’s an interesting story.
Wham Bam Thank You Glam (Andre Deutsch) 1998
A slightly self-indulgent look back to the Glam Rock era of the early 1970s.
Tommy Cooper: Just Like That (Andre Deutsch) 1998
The Morecambe & Wise one did well, so they asked me if I wanted to do another. Now then, I’d always been a huge Cooper fan...
Morecambe & Wise: You Can’t See The Join (Andre Deutsch) 1997
A straightforward biography of my favourite comedians.
The Spurs Dream Team: Winning Their Spurs (Mainstream) 1996
I picked a Spurs “Dream Team” from the last 30 years, tracked them down and then talked to them about the game in their time. My players included Lineker, Klinsmann, Jennings and Mackay.
In A League Of Their Own (Mainstream) 1995
A look at how the cult of football managers grew in the 1970s. With the likes of Brian Clough, Jack Charlton, Terry Venables and Tommy Docherty.
